Today in Miami, with the “laying of the first stone”, the construction of the new Terminal of MSC Cruises, the third cruise brand in the world owned by the MSC Group, a global leader in the cruise sector, began. shipping. The work, built by Fincantieri Infrastructure in the city considered the world capital of cruise tourism, will be the largest and most advanced terminal in the United States, as well as one of the main internationally, and will be able to host up to three new generation ships at the same time. and with a reduced environmental impact, such as the future MSC Cruises liquefied natural gas (LNG) ships destined to enter service in the coming months, handling up to 36,000 passengers a day.
Pierfrancesco Vago, Executive Chairman MSC Cruises, said: “This initiative represents a further important step in the long-standing and fruitful collaboration between MSC and Fincantieri. We are partners – together with other primary economic players of the “Italian System” such as IntesaSanpaolo, CDP, Sace and Simest – of a project that honors Italian “know-how” and engineering skills in the world, called upon to try their hand at the American cruise market. It will be the largest and most technologically advanced terminal in the United States, a new benchmark in the sector, as well as one of the most significant investments made in Miami. And it will allow our company to strengthen and grow further in the most important and competitive cruise market in the world.
Giuseppe Bono , CEO of Fincantieri, declared: “The start of work on this great project is the culmination of what our Group has done in recent years. We have been able to further consolidate the relationship with MSC, based on innovation and constant improvement, and in parallel we have undertaken business initiatives that have allowed us to expand our skills also to offer our customers cutting-edge products and services. This new futuristic terminal will therefore not only be the best expression of Made in Italy, but also of the success of our corporate strategies “.
The new cruise infrastructure will cost around 350 million euros and represents one of the most important investments made in recent years in the United States by multinationals with an “Italian matrix” such as the MSC Group, in partnership with Italian excellences such as Fincantieri, world number one in the field. of shipbuilding. Both are among the most qualified ambassadors of “Made in Italy” in the world.
The relationship between MSC and Fincantieri has progressively consolidated over the last decade, during which the MSC Cruise Division has ordered eight ships from Fincantieri – four for the MSC Cruises brand and four for the Explora Journeys brand – for a total value that is close to 6 billion euros and with an overall impact on the Italian economy of approximately 27 billion euros. At the moment MSC has two options in place for two other Explora Journeys ships and the possibility of further new orders for both brands is not excluded. The MSC Group is therefore not only one of the main customers of the Italian shipyard, but also one of the most important investors in the Peninsula, where it carries out direct expenses of 3.5 billion euros every year and has about 15,000 employees, with an employment impact of more than 50,000 people.